[Leica] Re: Leica and the digital future

[Cummer Family <cummer@asiaonline.net>]

Hello LUGGERS,
As I was wandering through Windsor House Computer Mart in Causeway Bay Hong
Kong this afternoon picking up a carton of recordable CDs which will be
used up recording scanned negatives I spied a new Sony Cybershot digital
still camera with a Carl Zeiss lens on it. The thought occurred to me that
it would be wonderful (for me, at least) if Leica cooperated with Fuji
(beyond the badge engineering of the Fuji MX 1700/ Leica digilux zoom) to
bring out a Leica M mount mega pix digital camera that would let me use my
Leica M lenses on a digital SLR body (like the recently announced Fuji D 1
in, I think, Nikon mount with, I recall, about 5 megapix). They could also
bring out an R mount model for those who want to use zooms or their R
lenses.  I have been transferring my colour negatives to digital for the
last month or so, using TIFF recording at the highest setting (2,400 dpi)
on my HP scanner, and have so far burned 10 disks - 300 negatives. I also
have recently acquired a Canon S10 digital still camera(2.1 megapixs) and
really like being able to review a picture immediately after taking it, and
then either discarding it and taking another or keeping it to download to
the computer and then burn to a disk. The quality isn't highest quality
photographic - yet - but it is getting there for prints up to A4 size. Last
weekend I spent a hot sunny Saturday afternoon (and have the sunburn to
prove it *was* hot and sunny!!) taking pictures of the Girls Rugby 7's
tournament (which my daughter's team won) held at the HKIS Tai Tam rugby
field - a place so green and fresh you wouldn't think of it as being in
Hong Kong. I got two or three shots with my M6HM and a very old 135 Elmar
shooting 1/250 at F8 to F11 with ASA 400 Fujicolor which were "decisive
moment" pictures, but, of course, I didn't know that I had them for sure
until I got the film back from the Lab on Monday morning. How great it
would be - I stress *for me*, because I don't want to start a digital
versus film war etc., if I could have taken a shot, using my beloved Leica
lenses and then been able to review it right away to see if I had caught
the moment. 
Talking of Rugby are any LUGGERS going to the Rugby 7's March 24 - 26 at
Hong Kong Stadium? If you are please let me know off list and perhaps we
can arrange to meet and sit together. I like to sit in the southeast corner
- - near - but not too near to the notorious South Stands were the youngsters
throw beer and inflatable toys at each other and from where most of the
streaking starts!
Cheers,
Howard Cummer.